This guide gives employees hired through Remote a high-level overview of statutory annual leave by country. The employee’s agreement, collective bargaining agreement, or local law may provide more generous terms.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Annual leave rules can change. The employee should check their current leave balance and agreement before making plans. If the information shown in Remote differs from this guide, contact Remote support.
See also: View and request time off
How to use this guide
- Minimum entitlement is the statutory baseline for a standard employee unless the row says otherwise.
- Leave period explains whether leave follows the calendar year or the employee’s work anniversary.
- Carryover summarizes whether unused leave may move into a later leave period. Conditions, limits, and exceptions may apply.
- Public holidays are separate from annual leave unless the country row says they are included.
Annual leave by country
| Country | Minimum entitlement | Leave period | Carryover at a glance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | In Argentina, the minimum annual leave entitlement varies based on the length of service within the same company: less than five years of service provides 14 calendar days of annual leave. | The vacation period runs from October 1 of the current year to April 30 of the following year. | Remote uses a January to December leave year and carries over unused balances so employees can take leave during the statutory vacation period. |
| Australia | The employee, other than a casual employee, accumulates four weeks of paid annual leave for each year of service. | The annual leave period is based on the employee’s starting and anniversary date. | Unused annual leave rolls over from year to year. |
| Austria | 25 days for a five-day workweek. The entitlement increases to 30 days after 25 years of service. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Unused leave may be carried over for up to two years. |
| Belgium | Typically 20 days a year for a five-day workweek. | The entitlement is based on work performed in the previous calendar year. | Employees unable to take leave because of specified work interruptions may defer it for up to 24 months. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20 working days a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Employees must take 12 consecutive days in the year the leave is granted. Remaining days may be carried over and used by June 30 of the following year. |
| Brazil | 30 calendar days a year, subject to rules on unjustified absences. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Carryover is not allowed. Employees must take leave during the statutory concession period. |
| Canada | Varies by province or territory and length of service. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Remote allows employees to carry over at least the applicable statutory minimum from January 1, 2026. |
| Colombia | 15 days a year for full-time and part-time employees. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Carryover limits depend on the employee’s contract and role. |
| Costa Rica | Two weeks for every 50 weeks of work, which is generally 14 calendar days. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Leave continues to accrue from the hire date. There is no separate annual carryover event. |
| Croatia | Four weeks a year, usually 20 working days. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Employees must take at least two consecutive weeks in the current year. Remaining leave may be used by June 30 of the following year. |
| Cyprus | 21 days a year for a standard workweek. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Confirm the applicable carryover rule with the subject matter expert before publication. |
| Czech Republic | 20 days, or four weeks, a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | The employer must schedule annual leave so it is used in the year it accrues. Limited exceptions may apply. |
| Denmark | 25 days a year for full-time and part-time employees. | September 1 to August 31 of the following year. | Carryover is not a statutory right and requires a separate agreement. |
| Dominican Republic | 14 days with less than five years of service, increasing to 18 days after five years. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | The employer must schedule and grant the leave within the statutory period. |
| Ecuador | 15 calendar days a year. Additional days apply after five years of service, up to the statutory limit. | Employees accrue from their start date, while the leave period follows the calendar year. | Employees may carry over unused leave for up to three periods, subject to the statutory limit. |
| Egypt | Varies by age and length of service, beginning at 15 days under the source policy. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover is not expressly defined by law. The employer must still ensure that employees can take their leave. |
| Estonia | 28 calendar days a year, unless the agreement provides more. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused leave may be carried over and generally expires one year after the end of the year in which it accrued. |
| France | Five weeks a year. The counting method depends on the applicable collective bargaining agreement. | June 1 of the previous year to May 31 of the current year. | Standard carryover generally does not apply. Employees normally use the prior period’s entitlement during the current leave-taking period. |
| Georgia | 24 working days a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover applies only in exceptional cases when the employee requested leave and the employer could not grant it. |
| Germany | 20 days for a five-day workweek, or 24 days for a six-day workweek. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Leave may be carried forward until March 31 only in exceptional cases involving urgent operational or personal reasons. |
| Greece | 20 days for a five-day workweek, with the entitlement increasing based on service. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused accrued leave may be carried over and used by March 31 of the following year. |
| Hong Kong | Starts at seven days after 12 months of continuous employment and increases with service. | The employer defines the common leave year. | Unused accrued leave may be carried over without a stated maximum or expiry. |
| Hungary | 20 working days a year, with additional days based on age and family circumstances. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Leave should normally be used in the year it accrues. Exceptions apply when the employee could not take it for valid reasons. |
| India | One day for every 20 days worked after 180 days of work for employees aged 18 or older. Remote agreements provide at least 15 days. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Up to 45 days may be carried forward. Any excess is paid out at year-end. |
| Ireland | Four working weeks a year. | The statutory leave year runs from April 1 to March 31. Remote administers leave from January 1 to December 31. | Leave should be used in the year it accrues. Exceptions apply for sick leave and some family leave. |
| Israel | Varies by length of service and workweek under Israeli law. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover requires the employer’s agreement and is not automatic. |
| Italy | At least four weeks of paid annual leave a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover is mandatory. The source record does not set a day limit or expiration period. |
| Jamaica | 10 working days with less than 10 years of service, increasing to 15 working days after 10 years. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | The employment agreement should state whether unused leave may be carried forward and any limits that apply. |
| Japan | 10 days after six months of employment, increasing with service. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused leave expires two years after it is granted. |
| Kenya | 21 days a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover of unused statutory leave is mandatory, subject to rules on taking a continuous portion in the year of accrual. |
| Latvia | At least four calendar weeks of paid annual leave a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover is allowed only in exceptional cases and must be documented. The carried leave must generally be used within one year. |
| Lithuania | 20 working days for a five-day workweek, or 24 working days for a six-day workweek. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Employees must use at least two weeks in the current year. Remaining leave may be carried over for a limited period. |
| Luxembourg | 26 working days a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Leave should normally be taken in the year it accrues. Limited deferral to the following year may apply. |
| Malaysia | Eight days with less than two years of service, 12 days with two to five years, and 16 days after five years. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused leave may be carried into the next year only and must be used before that year ends. |
| Malta | 24 days, or 192 hours, after one year of full-time employment. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Employees may carry over up to 50% of their entitlement, generally with the employer’s agreement. |
| Mexico | Varies by length of service, beginning with the statutory entitlement for the employee’s first year. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start or anniversary date. | Employees must generally use accrued leave within six months after the relevant year of service. |
| Moldova | 28 calendar days a year, excluding public holidays. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Unused leave may be carried into the following year and expires at the end of that year. |
| Morocco | Accrues after six months of continuous service. The exact statutory schedule must be confirmed before publication. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Confirm the applicable carryover limit and expiry with the subject matter expert before publication. |
| New Zealand | Four weeks after 12 months of employment. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start or anniversary date. | Unused annual leave does not expire at the end of the entitlement year and must be carried over. |
| North Macedonia | At least 20 working days a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Employees must take two consecutive weeks in the current year. Remaining leave must generally be used by June 30 of the following year. |
| Norway | 25 working days a year, where Saturdays count as working days for statutory leave. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Up to 12 working days may be carried over by written agreement made before year-end. |
| Pakistan | Generally 14 days after 12 months of service, with provincial differences. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Confirm the applicable provincial carryover rule with the subject matter expert before publication. |
| Peru | 30 calendar days after each year of service. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start or anniversary date. | Carryover requires mutual agreement and may have monetary consequences. |
| Philippines | Five days of Service Incentive Leave after one year of service. Employer policy may provide more. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover or payment of unused leave depends on the employer’s policy unless the employment agreement states otherwise. |
| Poland | 20 or 26 days a year, depending on the employee’s total length of service. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused leave must generally be used by September 30 of the following year. |
| Portugal | 22 working days a year, excluding weekends and public holidays. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover is allowed in specified circumstances, with deadlines that depend on when the leave accrued. |
| Romania | At least 20 working days a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused leave may be carried forward and must generally be taken within 18 months after the end of the year in which it accrued. |
| Serbia | At least 20 working days a year. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Employees who split their leave must take at least two consecutive weeks in the current year and use the rest by June 30 of the following year. |
| Singapore | Varies by years of service. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Carryover depends on Employment Act coverage and the employer’s policy. |
| Slovakia | 20 working days for employees under age 33, with higher entitlements in specified cases. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused leave may be carried into the following year when statutory conditions apply. |
| Slovenia | At least four working weeks a year, usually 20 working days for a five-day workweek. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Employees must use at least two weeks in the current year. Remaining leave may generally be used by June 30 of the following year. |
| South Africa | 15 working days, or 21 consecutive days, in each 12-month cycle. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Unused leave must generally be taken within six months after the leave cycle ends. |
| Spain | 30 calendar days a year, usually 22 to 23 working days. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Leave should generally be taken in the same calendar year. Remote automatically carries unused leave from January 1, 2026, subject to the applicable policy. |
| Sweden | 25 days a year. | Remote uses the calendar year, January 1 to December 31, although the statutory leave year runs from April 1 to March 31. | Days above 20 may be saved and used within five years. |
| Switzerland | Four weeks for employees age 20 or older, and five weeks for employees under age 20. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Unused leave may be carried over for up to five years. |
| Taiwan | Varies by length of continuous service. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Unused leave may be carried into the following year. Any balance still unused at the end of that year must be paid out. |
| Thailand | Six days after one year of service. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Carryover requires agreement between the employer and employee. |
| Turkey | 14 to 26 working days, depending on length of service. | A 12-month cycle based on length of service with the employer. | Unused leave may be carried over without a stated expiry and must be paid out when employment ends. |
| United Kingdom | 28 paid days a year for a five-day workweek, including bank holidays. Remote records 20 annual leave days because bank holidays are provided separately. | Calendar year, January 1 to December 31. | Carryover is not automatic, except in cases such as sick leave or family leave. Other carryover requires agreement. |
| United States | No general federal statutory minimum. The employer’s policy and state rules determine entitlement. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Under Remote’s default policy, unused leave carries over until the balance reaches twice the annual entitlement. |
| Vietnam | 12 working days after 12 months for employees in standard working conditions, with higher entitlements for specified roles. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Carryover depends on the employer’s policy, including the amount and expiry. |
| Zimbabwe | 30 calendar days a year, or 2.5 days accrued per month, after one year of service. | A 12-month cycle based on the employee’s start date. | Employees may carry over up to 90 days. |
What if the employee’s agreement provides more leave?
The employee receives the more generous entitlement when their agreement or an applicable collective bargaining agreement provides more annual leave than the statutory minimum. The employer must continue to follow any mandatory local rules on accrual, scheduling, carryover, and payment when employment ends.
What if the employee joins or leaves during the year?
Annual leave is usually prorated based on the employee’s start or end date, but the calculation method varies by country. Some countries also require a waiting period before leave can be taken. Check the country policy and the employee’s agreement before calculating a final balance.
What if the employee uses all available annual leave?
The employee may request unpaid or additional leave, but approval and local rules vary. Do not assume that a negative leave balance can be recovered from salary or carried into another year.
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